


what is fire (and why does it burn?)

by potahtopotato



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Angst, Breakup, Established Relationship, I'm not sure yet, M/M, Multi-part oneshot, Short, hopefully happy ending, that gets destablished, this was supposed to be fluff
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-01-25
Updated: 2018-01-24
Packaged: 2019-03-09 04:48:34
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 956
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13474020
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/potahtopotato/pseuds/potahtopotato
Summary: After the war, Dean and Seamus get together. After that, Dean goes to France to art school, and Seamus stays in London and trains as a Healer. In which long-distance relationships are hard and Seamus accidentally sets things on fire.





	what is fire (and why does it burn?)

“I think we should break up,” Dean says, and the curtains catch on fire. He extinguishes them with a wave of his hand; it’s the one wandless spell he can do and the first nonverbal one he learned.

“Sorry?” Seamus asks. “Because I thought you said we should break up, and―”

“I did,” Dean says, and gets up to put his plate away. “Are you done with that?”

“Done with what?”

“Your food,” Dean gestures. 

“Did you say we should break up?”

“Yes, I did.” Dean doesn’t want to look at Seamus, so he looks at his plate instead, and spends an inordinate amount of time placing it in the sink.

“Why?” Seamus’s voice sounds strangled.

Dean’s written this speech a thousand times in his head, but it’s never sounded right and it doesn’t sound right now either. “I don’t think it’s working out,” he says. He still isn’t looking at Seamus, and he doesn’t know what to do with his hands. Somehow, during all the times he rehearsed this moment, he never considered what he should do with his hands.

“That’s all?” Seamus asks, voice rising in pitch. “It’s not working out? We’ve been together for almost three years, and you don’t think it’s working out?”

“I just don’t think this relationship is what either of us needs right now. It’s not― the problem’s not you, it’s not me, it’s just the circumstances at the moment. Which aren’t―” Dean grasps for a word― “favorable. Currently.”

“Did you cheat on me?” The question is quiet, as though Seamus doesn’t quite want to know the answer.

“What?” Dean is so startled he turns around. Seamus is still sitting with his back to him, but his back has gone ramrod-straight, and he’s not touching his food.

“Well, did you?”

“No, I―of course I didn’t cheat on you!”

“You’re a horrible liar, you know that?” Seamus asks, getting up as well.

“Which is why it’s a good thing I’m not fucking lying!”

“Okay,” Seamus says, relaxing his shoulders slightly. “Okay. I had to be sure.”

“Why was that even something you thought?” Dean asks. He debates putting Seamus’s plate in the sink as well; it doesn’t look like it’s going to be getting much use.

“Oh, please.” Seamus gives a shaky laugh. “Long-distance boyfriend breaks up with you, isn’t that the first thing you think? Plus, Paris. All those fantastic-looking girls and all.”

Dean has no idea how to reply to that. “Right, well. I didn’t cheat.” 

“Just got bored of me, then?”

“Shay, have you heard a single word I’ve been saying? When was the last time we saw each other? What was it, November? That was months ago! For fuck’s sake, we didn’t even meet up for Christmas!” Dean’s not quite sure when all of this anger had built up, but now that it’s out it feels oddly amazing. 

“I was busy!”

“Exactly.”

“So you’re breaking up with me because I couldn’t miss an assessment at St. Mungo’s just so we could shag on Boxing Day.”

“No, I’m breaking up with you because―” Dean cuts himself off. He pulls out his chair and lowers himself into it. “Look, I don’t want to have a huge fight over this. Neither of us has the time, or the money, or the willpower, for a long-distance relationship right now. We both know this was going to go on until someone broke and cheated.”

Seamus opens his mouth to protest, and Dean stops him with a pointed look. “Let me just say this. I care about you, alright? And I don’t want―this isn’t going to end well. So it’s not my fault if I realized before you did, or you realized and didn’t say, or whatever.”

Dean is suddenly exhausted. He wants to snog Seamus, not break up with him, but they've let it go on too long, this farce of a relationship, and he knows that the longer the wound festers the worse it’ll get.

“I’ll go pack my things,” he says, and then he’s jumping back and reaching for his wand because the entire kitchen table has just gone up in flames, and he yells Aguamenti and the flames sputter out and all that’s left is Seamus, standing sopping wet in the middle of the kitchen and it should’ve been funny but it isn’t in the slightest.

“You’re so full of shit,” Seamus says, mouth twisting. “You’re so fucking―you know, you probably would’ve cheated, too, but this makes more sense. Wouldn’t be the first time you run away from your problems.” 

It’s a low blow, and they both know it, especially considering all the time Seamus has spent reassuring Dean that Dean’s decisions during the war had been the right thing to do. It hurts, though, hurts all the more because Seamus knew exactly what those words meant and had said them anyway.

“At least I’m not a bloody child,” he says. “You can’t even control your own magic! Most people stop doing accidental magic when they’re eleven, and you’re, what, twenty years old and still lighting things on fire?”

They’d never really fought before, not like that. Suffice it to say that when he finally makes it to the Leaky Cauldron, his throat is raw from yelling and his heart feels like it’s been pounded into many, many pieces. He stops by the bar, says hello to Hannah, and somehow makes it into the room the Longbottoms keep reserved for their friends.

He falls onto the bed without undressing and lies there for the next few hours, wondering who the hell came up with the myth of the friendly breakup, and more importantly, whether he’s just ruined the single most important relationship of his life.


End file.
